PROTOPLOPHORIDAE Ewing, 1917

Although Jacot is generally mentioned as author of the present family, the group was in fact created by Ewing (1917, p. 119) as subfamily of the " Hoplodermatidae ". Jacot (1923) mentions the group as subdivision of the Ginglymosoma (= Ptyctima). At that time it consisted of 4 species that all had been described by Berlese ( Protoplophora palpalis, Arthrhoplophora paradoxa , Prototritia armadillo, and Prototritia vulpes).

In 1932 Grandjean published a paper on the family; he described two new genera ( Cryptoplophora, Aedoplophora), contributed with some doubt two species to the genus Protoplophora, and pointed to the relationship of Cryptoplophora and Aedoplophora with Sphaerochthonius . In the 4th series of notes on the Enarthronota (Grandjean, 1954b) he redescribed Cryptoplophora and Aedoplophora; at the same time he mentioned that useful fragments of his two " Protoplophora " species are no more present in his collection.

Berlese's Protoplophoridae represent a collection of insufficiently described ptychoid Oribatid mites. For the moment it is difficult to establish further details, because the material in the Collection is in a bad condition and one type is no more present. Nevertheless, I think that the original descriptions of Arthrhoplophora and Prototritia will be sufficient to recognize the species when new specimens are collected.

I remark that Jacot (1938a, p. 112) classified the genus Phtiracarulus Berlese with the Protoplophoridae 1). I discovered, however, that Phtiracarulus perexiguus Berlese, the type of the genus Phtiracarulus, is a juvenile Mesoplophora michaeliana Berlese, so that Phtiracarulus must be placed in the synonymy of Mesoplophora . The genus Phtiracarulus sensu Jacot, founded on adults as well as nymphs, appears to be strongly different from Protoplophora, but related to Mesoplophora; it is dealt with here in the chapter on the Mesoplophoridae .

1) Jacot (1938a) regarded the group as a subfamily ( Protoplorinae), which he divided into two tribes: Protoplophorini and Phtiracarulini .